The methods and systems disclosed herein relate to displaying information from computer systems. More specifically, techniques for displaying information on electronic paper are disclosed.
One of the most common methods of displaying information via electronic devices is with a standard printer and paper. The printer receives data from a computer, and then uses ink to embed, or print, text and images onto a sheet of paper. The printed information is permanent and cannot be easily altered or disposed of outside of physically destroying the paper itself. Furthermore, the amount of ink that a printer can store is finite and must be replenished regularly. Thus, the use of a printer requires users to purchase and dispose of a large quantity of resources.
Another method that has gained wide acceptance in recent years is the use of an electronic reader or “e-reader”. An e-reader functions by displaying text and images on a screen of limited size on the device. The information displayed by the screen is dictated by a document interpreter and renderer, which sends instruction to a driver to change the state of the pixels displayed on the screen. The electronics are fixed to the display screen, meaning that the device has a rigid form factor and cannot be resized or reshaped. Further, the electronics used to display the information add significant cost to the display. The e-readers are also incapable of displaying multiple pages of information simultaneously.